🍎 Rhubarb
Rheum rhabarbarum
fruits
perennial vegetable (used as fruit)
☀️ Sun
full sun to partial shade
💧 Water
consistently moist; heavy feeder; mulch deeply
🗺️ Zones
3, 8
🧪 Soil pH
5.5, 6.8 (slightly acidic)
🪴 Soil Type
deep rich loam, heavily amended with compost/manure
📏 Spacing
3-4 ft apart (large perennial crown; 4 ft between rows)
⏱️ Maturity
1-2 years (from crown division); harvest lightly in second year, fully from third year
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ Fruit
Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone
🤝 Companions (6)
Nitrogen source; living mulch between plants
Attracts pollinators; tall airy foliage doesn't shade rhubarb's large leaves
Nutrient accumulator nearby; chop-and-drop feeds heavy-feeding rhubarb
Repel aphids and slugs; garlic's antifungal properties protect rhubarb crowns from rot
🤝 Perpetual spinach / Chard
Similar growing conditions; different root zones; chard benefits from rhubarb pest protection
Complementary root depths; rhubarb's large leaves provide cooling shade for strawberries in hot weather
⚠️ Keep Apart (4)
⚠️ Cucurbits
Differing water needs (rhubarb likes wet, squash likes moderate); space competition
⚠️ Legumes (beans, peas)
Rhubarb's oxalic acid root exudates may inhibit legume growth; keep separated
Allelopathic properties of sunflower roots inhibit rhubarb; heavy nutrient competition
Juglone sensitivity
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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